Sniffer restricts arboviral brain infections by regulating ROS levels and protecting blood-brain barrier integrity in Drosophila and mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT: Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are transmitted to humans by arthropod vectors and pose a serious threat to global public health. Neurotropic arboviruses including Sindbis virus (SINV) persistently infect the central nervous system (CNS) of vector insects without causing notable pathological changes or affecting their behavior or lifespan. However, the mechanisms by which vector insects evade these viral infections in the brains are poorly understood. In this study, we found that loss of the carbonyl reductase Sniffer (Sni) led to a significant increase in SINV infection in the Drosophila brain. Sni regulates reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and its depletion leads to elevated ROS, which in turn disrupts the septate junctions (SJs) between subperineurial glia (SPG) cells, compro

SUBMITTER: Hu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11684763 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature